AT present, 19.5 percent of Filipinos use tobacco products. And in the 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, it was found that 1 in 7 Filipino students that are 13 to 15 years old have started to use e-cigarettes, more commonly known now as vapes.
The Makati Medical Center writes that each year, 87, 600 Filipinos die from causes related to the use of tobacco. And even outside of death, there are a number of illnesses you can get, be it from smoking or vaping.
Despite this, teens continue to smoke. Others turn to vapes, and others even do them both at the same time. Given that both are being made more and more accessible to the youth with platforms like Shopee selling them and TikTok promoting them, I think it’s time for us to take a refresher on the effects of nicotine on the human body.
Why we smoke
“I started smoking because all my friends back then were smoking, and I felt left out,” says 22-year-old Grace Dumlao, a 4th-year student at San Beda University. They first started smoking when they were in the tenth grade, at just 16 years old.
What started as a way for them to catch up with their friends soon became a habit they’d struggle to shake off. They continued to smoke because they found that it helped them feel good after a stressful day; whenever they were sad, or needed time to think, Dumlao would have a cigarette as their companion.
As a student, Dumlao often gets stressed, and smoking is what helps to stop them from spiraling.
74-year-old physician Dr. Jimmy Galvez Tan says that there has been a decrease in teenagers smoking given the rise in prices of tobacco products; according to him, the price of cigarettes has been going up since 2013, and will only continue to rise in the future.
But has this encouraged people to stop smoking? Or have they just found a cheaper alternative?
Moving on to vaping
When Dumlao felt like quitting cigarettes, they moved on to vaping. And this is a trend that we often see in teens nowadays; when they want to stop smoking, or even when they want to find a cheaper alternative, they turn to vapes.
Dr. Galvez Tan has noticed over the years that younger people are switching to vapes most probably because tobacco companies are advertising them toward this demographic, given its many different flavors.
“It’s a status symbol promoted among young people–because why would you be marketing candy-flavored, strawberry-flavored, or chocolate-flavored vape to an adult who’s 40, 50, 60 years old?” He asked.
Many switch to vaping because they think that it has less harmful effects on the body as compared to smoking cigarettes, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. However, Dr. Galvez Tan says that there’s no better or worse between the two–they’re both terrible for your health in the long run.
“It’s a fad,” he stated.
“It has the same effect as cigarettes, and is very addictive and destructive of the brain and in how we think.”
Even Dumlao, who has tried both and still smokes at present, knows that there is no better or worse one between the two–they just affect your body in different ways.
They stated: “If I’m not mistaken, a cigarette tends to burn your lungs while vaping causes water in [them].”
In the long run
At this point, everyone and their mother has been told of the dangers of smoking. Dr. Galvez Tan lists the following as just some of the things that may happen after smoking for too many years:
- Cancer of the lungs, lips, mouth, tongue, throat, stomach, or esophagus
- Heart disease, particularly coronary artery disease
- Chronic obstructive lung disease
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Yellowing of the teeth and hands
Smoking also affects your appearance, making the skin of both your body and face look older. And even your sexual reproductive health may be negatively affected; many have linked smoking to infertility and erectile dysfunction.
Dr. Galvez Tan notes that as of today tobacco is something people spend on every day despite it being one of the most poisonous substances on the planet.
He further stated: “There is really no benefit one can get for health and wellness when it comes to tobacco.”
“In the world today, when everybody knows already what is healthy and not healthy, it is unfortunate that governments have tolerated the selling of cigarettes and tobacco in the world.”
And if you think you’re safe from vaping, guess again.
Just last 2019, the Department of Health recorded its first-ever vape-related illness. A 16-year-old girl, after vaping for three to four months, was diagnosed with EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury.)
“The long-term effects are more on the brain and addiction,” said Dr. Galvez Tan with regard to vaping. He makes note of a similar case of a 15-year-old girl in Cebu before the start of the pandemic, who died because of how much she would consume its smoke.
“I started smoking when I was very young and fell into the wagon of peer pressure and the need to be cool,” shared Dumlao as they look back on their relationship with smoking.
“It now became a habit I’m dependent with. I smoke when I’m happy, sad, stressed, socializing… my fingers feel empty without them.”
Dumlao heavily recommends that people avoid smoking; finding other, healthier ways to be happy and let off steam is much better.
If you’re looking for help
If you’re trying to quit, Dr. Galvez Tan recommends the “Cold Turkey Method.”
For example, just say that you’re going to quit starting June 1, but be sure to tell your friends and/or family you’re quitting, too. He states that at the very least, you should tell 10 people.
“If you don’t want to go public, then in the Department of Health, there is a hotline just for those who want to quit smoking,” he said. This hotline–aptly labeled the Quitline by the DOH–can be reached at 165-364, or by texting “STOPSMOKE” to (29290) 165-354.
According to Joyce Anne Sandajan, these services are within Metro Manila.
